Department for Transport

Railways: Bridges

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for largescale (a) fill in and (b) removal of bridges for the Historical Railways Estate.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As part of Highways England’s 5-year plan for its management of over 3,000 Historical Railways Estate structures it has developed a programme of works to maintain safety. These works include repair, strengthening and refurbishment of structures, which can also include infilling or demolition where necessary.  This programme is under internal review and works are only taking place on structures that are unsafe.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Tests

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of people newly passing an LGV driver practical test.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends level of the pass rate for LGV driver practical tests.

Rachel Maclean: Prior to the pandemic more than 40,000 drivers passed their LGV test each year over the last four years. The restrictions put in place to fight the pandemic has affected the ability for new drivers to take their LGV driving test. LGV driver training and testing is due to re-start on 12 April as the current restrictions are lifted. When tests resume DVSA plan to conduct 2,800 to 3,000 LGV tests per week.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: EU Nationals

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number and proportion of EU nationals newly qualifying as LGV drivers.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number and proportion of EU nationals who are qualified LGV drivers.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not collect data on the nationality of those taking an LGV driving test. Logistics UK estimate that there were around 25,000 EU nationals working as LGV drivers in the UK in 2020.

Transport: Skilled Workers

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK having left the EU on (a) freedom of movement and (b) interoperability of transport skills qualifications in the transport sector.

Rachel Maclean: Free movement between the UK and the European Union ended on 31 December 2020 and on 1 January 2021, and the UK implemented a points-based immigration system that prioritises skills and talent over where a person comes from. The UK and the EU have agreed a framework for the recognition of professional qualifications between the Parties which is based on the EU’s recent free trade agreements. It makes improvements on those agreements, which are designed to make the system more flexible and easier for regulatory authorities to use. EU driving licence holders residing in the UK will be able to exchange their licence without the need for a re-test. They can use their EU licence as long as it is valid, subject to UK licence renewal requirements. Certificates of professional competence for drivers and transport managers issued by EU Member States remain valid for use in the UK.

Roads: Design

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to assess the effect of Highway England’s  report, The road to good design: Highways England’s design vision and principles, published on 11 January 2018 on the design of (a) roads, (b) architecture related to roads and (c) roadside aesthetics.

Rachel Maclean: Following the publication of The Road to Good Design: Highways England's design vision and principles, Highways England continues to meet quarterly with stakeholders through its Strategic Design Panel, which supports it in ensuring the Strategic Road Network (SRN) displays design quality that is both safe and sensitive to the environment. An update is due for publication in April 2021, which will set out progress.

Biofuels

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of classifying biodiesel that is 100 per cent derived from waste biomass separately from biodiesel made from non-waste biomass.

Rachel Maclean: The Department recognises the benefits that fuels produced from waste can have in reducing carbon emissions. It is anticipated the merits of any new classification for biodiesel proposed would relate to better informing the public or incentivising the uptake of waste derived biodiesel. The industry standard for diesel and UK regulations make no requirement in respect of the labelling by feedstock type of biodiesel blended into diesel and placed on sale in UK forecourts. There is little merit in introducing such a requirement and given the complexity of fuel supply chains it is likely this information will not always be known at the point of sale. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was changed in 2011 so that waste derived biodiesel is eligible for twice the number of tradeable certificates than would be rewarded for biodiesel produced from non-wastes. One benefit of the change in approach is that the RTFO scheme also sets mandatory sustainability criteria which must be met in order for renewable fuels to benefit from any support. Thereby ensuing we reward fuels that deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The RTFO has been highly successful in supporting a market for waste derived biofuels. In 2019 over two-thirds (69%) of renewable fuels reported under the RTFO were made from wastes and around four fifths (79%) of biodiesel reported was made from used cooking oil, a waste.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on launching a design competition for electric car charging points.

Rachel Maclean: Government is currently consulting on measures to improve the consumer experience of public charging. This includes design factors such as accessibility, weatherproofing and lighting. We want to make charging as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

Merchant Shipping: Crew

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of merchant seamen who are UK passport holders.

Robert Courts: The UK does not record additional information, such as occupation, on its passports and it would not be possible to estimate how many seafarers hold a UK passport.

Materials Handling Equipment: Motor Vehicles

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of newly qualified forklift operators.

Rachel Maclean: The Government does not record the numbers of newly qualified forklift operators. The training for materials handling equipment, including forklift trucks, is an option within the Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeship but is not required to complete the apprenticeship. There have been 5,093 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeship starts in the last five years.

Transport: Infrastructure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what transport infrastructure projects his Department is planning in the (a) north of England and (b) Midlands to help deliver the Government's levelling up agenda.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is delivering major investment in transport infrastructure in the North and Midlands to help unite and level up the UK. Last year’s Spending Review and National Infrastructure Strategy underlined the government’s ambition to deliver on key transport infrastructure projects and programmes in the North and Midlands. We are committed to increasing the share of investment in the North and Midlands, and enhancing critical rail and road networks in those regions. Investments we have set out have included:Boosting towns and cities in these regions – building on the Transforming Cities Fund which has committed over £500 million investment in public and sustainable transport in some of the Midlands’ largest city regions, with additional funding for five-year intra-city transport settlements for eight English city regions, of which six are in the North. We have also announced a £4 billion Levelling Up fund which will invest in local infrastructure including transport – e.g. bypasses and other local road schemes, bus lanes, and railway station upgrades. The National Bus Strategy, published this month, also sets out a bold vision for bus services in England outside London. Backed by £3 billion, the strategy will deliver better bus services for passengers, strengthening communities and sustaining town centres across the country. Delivering on major rail and road projects – this spring the Government intends to publish the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the North and Midlands, setting out how we will deliver HS2 Phase 2b, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Rail Hub and other major rail programmes in the North and Midlands. We are also working on restoring lines and stations closed during the Beeching cuts. Alongside this, a number of strategic roads projects in the North and Midlands will benefit from the £27 billion Roads Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) funding package, while significant investment will contribute to local roads improvements.

Travel Restrictions: Coronavirus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that private plane owners comply with international travel restrictions.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plan to review the use of private planes during the covid-19 pandemic; and whether users of such aircraft have operated within international travel restrictions when compared to compliance across commercial airlines.

Robert Courts: The international travel regulations apply to all individuals and operators, including those that use private planes. As such, they are subject to the same requirements and enforcement, including by the Border Force and Civil Aviation Authority.In addition, my Department has issued guidance for the General Aviation (GA) sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. The guidance makes clear that international GA flying should follow the wider rules regarding international travel. This includes the requirement for anyone who has been in a travel ban red list country in the previous 10 days to arrive in England via an approved entry point. The enforcement of the entry ban on non-resident nationals from red list countries is managed by Border Force.My Department is working across government to continuously review the effectiveness of international travel regulations to best protect public health and ensure they are working effectively. This includes considering health evidence and information on compliance from the Border Force and Civil Aviation Authority.

Railways: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure the safety of (a) rail conductors and drivers, (b) station staff and (c) passengers is prioritised on the rail network during roadmap out of the covid-19 outbreak restrictions.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The safety of rail conductors, drivers, station staff and passengers continues to be our priority as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. We have issued comprehensive guidance to train operators on the steps they need to take to protect staff in line with Public Health England advice, as well as safer travel guidance for passengers, both of which are regularly reviewed and updated. Operators are planning to increase service levels in line with the roadmap and the levels of demand observed on the network, alongside taking active steps to encourage social distancing and manage passenger flows with crowd management plans and ability to draw on additional staff if needed.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Apprentices

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in (a) the number of applications for Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeships, (b) the number of starts for Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeships and (c) the number of successful completions of Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeships.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have (a) applied for a Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeship, (b) started a Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeship and (c) successfully completed a Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeship in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: There have been 4,889 starts for the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship standard in the five years to October 2020. We are working with the industry to develop a suite of apprenticeships which will enable the logistics sector to make the most of the Apprenticeship Levy funding available.

Logistics: Vacancies

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of skills shortages in the logistics sector in the occupations of (a) transport management, (b) mechanics, (c) technicians, (d) LGV drivers, (e) storage management, (f) elementary storage occupations, (g) importers and exporters.

Rachel Maclean: The labour shortages in the sector are longstanding. There has been no recent systematic assessment by the department of the extent of the skills shortage. Assessments have been made by Logistics UK. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to ensure that jobseekers can find employment or training in the industry as quickly as possible. We are also working with the Department for Education in supporting the logistics sector make the most of the opportunities provided through the apprenticeship levy.

Transport: Vacancies

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received from (a) members of the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce and (b) other sector stakeholders on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on transport sector skills shortages.

Rachel Maclean: In 2016, the Government set ambitions through the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy (TISS) to increase apprenticeships in road and rail client bodies to help address skills shortages in the transport sector, ensuring that the transport sector has the capacity and capability to deliver planned investment and to increase diversity. Over the past four years, the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT) has worked to identify skills shortages across the transport sector. To understand the likely impact of changes to migration policy post-Brexit, STAT responded to the Migration Advisory Committee’s Call for Evidence on Salary Thresholds (2019) and the Shortage Occupation List (2017 and (2020). This included employer led evidence of the potential impacts of Brexit on the transport industry. The Department has received representations from sector stakeholders including Logistics UK which publishes an annual Skills and Employment Report and a monthly Logistics Performance Tracker. The Road Haulage Association also continue to make representations to government.

Transport: Yorkshire and the Humber

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve transport infrastructure between Wakefield and Hull.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is committed, as part of its Levelling Up agenda, to improving transport connectivity between the towns and cities of the North. Since 2009/10, £17.8 billion has been invested on railways, and £9.2 billion on national roads, in the north of England, including schemes on the M1 Junctions 39-42, M62 Junctions 25-30 and A63 Castle Street to benefit journeys on the strategic road network between Wakefield and Hull. The Government’s Integrated Rail Plan will set out how best to deliver and sequence Northern Powerhouse Rail, and other major rail projects such as HS2, so that the benefits of these investments are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly. The Government intends to publish the IRP this Spring. We are also providing local authorities across the North of England access to the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, launched at the Budget 2021, which will enable places to bid for transport project funding that will enable them to continue to develop and progress their transport and connectivity ambitions.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Jobseeker's Allowance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of qualified LGV drivers claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

Rachel Maclean: The number of LGV drivers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in February 2021 was 80, down 11 per cent from a year ago. The number of qualified LGV drivers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has historically been low, reflecting the ongoing LGV driver shortages in the logistics industry. Departmental officials are working with colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to ensure that qualified LGV drivers are able to move back into work as soon as possible.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Tests

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have newly passed an LGV driver practical test in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: The number of LGV driver practical test passes in each of the last five years are:2015/1639,0002016/1744,3462017/1840,8082018/1943,0652019/2041,434The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes the statistics for all driving tests on Gov.uk

Transport for London: Finance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long he plans to provide emergency funding to Transport for London.

Rachel Maclean: The Government and Mayor of London have agreed to extend the current Transport for London funding deal, which was due to run out on 31st March 2021. The extended deal will continue to support the capital and the transport network until 18 May 2021, when a new funding deal will be put in place. The Government is committed to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends, and will commence discussions for a further funding deal as soon as the Mayoral Elections are concluded.

Railways

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) graffiti and (b) fly tipping are adequately tackled on railway (i) mainlines and (ii) branch lines.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Graffiti and fly-tipping on the railway are serious issues. The department is working with Network Rail and the British Transport Police to ensure that they are adequately tackled across the railway, on both main lines and branch lines. Both Network Rail and the British Transport Police are tackling graffiti on the railway and working to ensure the railway is as safe, clean and welcoming as it can be. There are a number of national working groups which meet regularly, including with Train Operating Companies, to share best practice on tackling graffiti. Focus areas for both organisations include the prevention, reduction, removal and policing of graffiti. New potentially beneficial technologies are being used and considered to help tackle graffiti. Nationally Network Rail has a number of standards and processes in place setting out guidance for Train Operating Companies and Network Rail regions on dealing with waste fly-tipped on Network Rail land. This includes guidance on ensuring all waste is removed as quickly and safely as possible, and on how to deal with areas of frequent incidents, such as installing automatic lighting and CCTV, and increasing fence heights.

Railways: Fares

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made on the economic effect on (a) retail and (b) other businesses in towns and cities of the recent increase in rail fares.

Chris Heaton-Harris: In terms of the economic effect on (a) and (b), the fares increase on 1 March was the lowest for four years. A small rise was necessary to ensure crucial investment in our railways. By delaying the change in fares, those who needed to renew season tickets were able to get a better deal until 28 February. Passenger demand has fallen dramatically over the last year and its recovery is uncertain. The Department will continue to work closely with industry on initiatives to support demand and revenue recovery when the time is right, including actively working with train operators to develop a solution that offers better value and convenience for those who commute flexibly.

Railways

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) opening new train stations and (b) restoring previously closed railway lines.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Under the New Stations Fund, my Department has opened 8 new stations and a further 5 new stations will be open by 2024. A third round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund closed on 5 March, which will develop more early-stage ideas for reopening rail lines and stations. This will add to the 25 ideas funded in previous rounds and funding for a feasibility study to reinstate the Fleetwood-Poulton line. £34 million has been pledged to rapidly progress plans to reopen the Northumberland line, which closed to passengers in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts and on 19 March, my Department announced the reopening of the Dartmoor line between Exeter and Okehampton, with services planned to begin this year.

Driving: Qualifications

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the proportion of people holding driving qualifications who are (a) women and (b) from each Census 2021 ethnicity group.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold this data.

Eurostar: Government Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Government has not provided financial support to Eurostar.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is fully aware of the serious financial challenges Eurostar is facing. Like other parts of the international travel sector it has been hit hard by the crisis. Providing financial assistance to any travel operator can only be implemented after all other options have been exhausted by the company. Any support would also be subject to appropriate conditions and structured to protect taxpayers’ interests.

Department for Transport: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The DfT and associated departmental public bodies and agencies have provided data on the level of UK-produced steel procured for 2019-20 to BEIS. BEIS collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government’s major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is UK-produced. BEIS have collated the 2019-20 data from across Government and expect to publish later this year. The data on UK steel procured in 2020-21 will be collated in due course.The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the UK steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. This includes making sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement.

Clean Air Zones

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government to allocate funding to local authorities in order to (a) facilitate the implementation of Clean Air Zones and (b) promote better public health across local communities.

Rachel Maclean: As a result of the 2017 NO2 Plan, a number of local authorities have been required to assess what action is needed to address NO2 exceedances in their area. This is supported by £880 million to develop and implement required measures such as Clean Air Zones (CAZs). We engage with MHCLG where needed. The Clean Air Strategy set out a clear agenda for action to reduce people’s exposure to harmful pollutants and our priority is to implement the commitments we made. We will apply our understanding of the longer-term implications from these unprecedented changes in living and working patterns to delivering our environmental commitments, including our Clean Air Strategy and the air quality measures in the Environment Bill.

Materials Handling Equipment

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have newly qualified as forklift operators in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: The Government does not record the numbers of newly qualified forklift operators. The training for materials handling equipment, including forklift trucks, is an option within the Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeship but is not required to complete the apprenticeship. There have been 5,093 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative apprenticeship starts in the last five years.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of people newly qualifying as LGV drivers.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have newly qualified as LGV drivers in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: Prior to the pandemic more than 40,000 drivers passed their LGV test each year over the last four years. The restrictions put in place to fight the pandemic has affected the ability for new drivers to take their LGV driving test. LGV driver training and testing is due re-start on 12 April as the current restrictions are lifted. When tests resume DVSA plan to conduct 2,800 to 3,000 tests per week.

Railways: Social Distancing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to ensure passengers and rail staff are able to social distance on the rail network.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The safety of both staff and passengers remains of the utmost importance. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have issued comprehensive guidance to train operators on the steps they need to take to protect staff in line with Public Health England advice. In stations across the country, the industry has taken active steps to encourage passengers to socially distance (e.g. via train/station announcements and floor stickers), to manage passenger flows and to increase cleaning regimes. We have been working closely with operators to ensure that there are appropriate procedures in place and clearly communicated to passengers. For instance, passengers are urged to use the whole length of the train to board to avoid overcrowding in one carriage. Operators are planning to increase service levels in line with the roadmap and the levels of demand observed on the network.

Railways: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe return to normal service on the rail network in line with the easing of restrictions set out in the covid-19 roadmap.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is working closely with train operators and Network Rail to step up capacity as we move through the roadmap. The Department will continue to work with operators to ensure crowd management plans are in place for anticipated busy periods as well as the ability to draw on additional staff if needed to manage higher passenger numbers.

Railways: Females

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2021 to Question 165645, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the low number of female train drivers.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2021 to Question 165645 on Railways: Females, for what reason his Department has not undertaken an estimate of the number of female train drivers.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to collect information on the representation of women in (a) train driver, (b) train conductor, (c) senior roles and (d) the rail sector.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As outlined in my answer to question 165645 we have included requirements for train operating companies within the Emergency Recovery Measure Agreements to provide the Department with diversity data across a range of characteristics, including gender comparisons. The Department is committed to ensuring that the transport workforce better reflects our diverse society. The government intends to publish a White Paper with details of its plans for rail reform, including its consideration of diversity within the rail workforce, when the course of the pandemic becomes clearer.

Railways: Death

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to prevent fatalities on the rail network.

Chris Heaton-Harris: My Department remains firmly committed to reducing passenger, workforce and public fatalities on the railways, whether it be on mainline or non-mainline parts of the network. The UK has a strong safety record and we continue to work closely with Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the safety regulator, to ensure that duty holders discharge their statutory safety duties correctly and enhance their safety arrangements, wherever possible. This includes managing risks associated with civil engineering assets, extreme weather events, track and lineside, level crossings, depots, occupational health, trespassing and suicides, among other areas, as identified in the ORR’s annual safety report for 2019-2020. We are also working with industry to ensure that recommendations produced by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) are effectively implemented in a timely manner, including those directed at the Department.

Driving Licences: Foreign Nationals

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the validity of driving licences for foreign nationals who are eligible to drive in the UK for 12 months before requiring a theory test, in the context of disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: There are no plans to extend the 12-month period for which holders of foreign driving licences can drive in Great Britain using that licence. To continue driving after the 12-month period the driver must either exchange their licence, if it was issued by a country which has been designated for licence exchange purposes, or apply for a provisional driving licence and pass both a theory and practical driving test. Where the UK has reached an agreement with an EU Member State on Recognition and Exchange, the UK will continue to recognise extended EU driving licences from 1 January 2021.

Bicycles: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has plans to release further vouchers under the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department plans to release a further batch of vouchers before Easter, providing lockdown restrictions still allow.

Railways: North of England

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2021 to Question 158166, what steps he will take to ensure that bids for the third round of the Ideas Fund will be assessed and chosen independently and objectively.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Recommendations for funding will be made by an Expert Panel following assessment by my Department, its technical advisers and Network Rail. This is the same approach as was taken in the previous two rounds.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tidal Power

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned timescale is for the auction process for tidal wave energy; and when the parameters for that auction process will be published.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced through the 10 Point Plan, the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round will open in late 2021. This is set to be our biggest auction yet, with the aim of securing up to double the renewable electricity capacity of previous rounds. We remain on course with this timetable and plan to publish draft auction parameters roughly five months ahead of round opening, with final parameters set just before round opening. These parameters will cover all technologies eligible to compete in this auction, including wave and tidal energy.

Companies: Human Rights

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of creating a whitelist and blacklist of companies that do and do not meet their obligations to uphold human rights throughout their supply chains.

Paul Scully: BEIS thanks the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee for its report on ‘Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value chains’, published on 17 March 2021. The Government takes very seriously the concerns that the report highlights. On Tuesday 22 March, the UK Government, alongside the EU, US and Canada, placed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one public entity that are responsible for the egregious human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang. We have backed up our international action by robust domestic measures that help ensure that British businesses are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang. The Government will formally respond to the report and its recommendations by 17 May 2021.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS Track and Trace app and the NHS text messaging service are synchronised when giving self-isolation end dates.

Helen Whately: There remain some circumstances when the app’s isolation countdown may legitimately differ from what people have been told by NHS Test and Trace in England. For example, the app may have identified a close contact with an unknown person who later tests positive, who contact tracers would not be able to identify due to the app’s anonymity. The COVID-19 app support website provides further advice at the following links: https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/article/KA-01147/en-us https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/article/KA-01146/en-us

NHS Test and Trace: Sitel

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total value is of service credits applied to SITEL’s contract to run call centres under NHS Test and Trace.

Helen Whately: Service credits have not been applied to SITEL’s contract to run call centres under NHS Test and Trace.

Coronavirus: Screening

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce asymptomatic covid-19 testing for relatives of hospital patients to allow visitations.

Helen Whately: There are no plans at present to introduce a blanket policy on COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic hospital visitors. However, we have introduced targeted asymptomatic testing for visitors to maternity scans and end of life care.

NHS Test and Trace: Serco

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total value is of service credits applied to Serco’s contract to run call centres under NHS Test and Trace.

Helen Whately: Service credits have not been applied to Serco’s contract to run call centres under NHS Test and Trace.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to provide additional funding to local authorities for the provision of discretionary payments to people self-isolating during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Since September 2020, the Government has provided an initial £50 million to local authorities, including £15 million for discretionary payments. The Government provided a further £10 million for discretionary payments in January 2021 and a further £10 million in February.The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme will continue into the summer and will be expanded to cover parents who are unable to work because they are caring for a child who is self-isolating. The funding made available for local authorities as part of this to make discretionary support payments will be increased to £20 million per month, to ensure local authorities can continue to make payments and support people on low incomes to stay at home and self-isolate when required to do so.

Test and Trace Support Payment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people declined the Test and Trace support payment; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rejection of those applications.

Helen Whately: We are working closely with all 314 lower tier and unitary local authorities to collate information on how the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is progressing, and will release information on the number of applications, number of successful applications and amounts paid out in due course.Information on the number of people declined for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is not currently available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce covid-19 testing for asymptomatic hospital visitors.

Helen Whately: There are no plans at present to introduce a blanket policy on COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic hospital visitors. However, we have introduced targeted asymptomatic testing for visitors for maternity scans and in end of life care.

Coronavirus

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cumulative total number of laboratory-confirmed cases of covid-19 is in each Middle Layer Super Output Area; and what the rate of those cases was relative to the population in those areas at the time that those cases were so confirmed.

Helen Whately: This information is not held in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children aged (a) under one, (b) one, (c) two, (d) three, (e) four and (f) five years have received a covid-19 test; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the sample size on significance in the data sets in identifying the prevalence of covid-19.

Helen Whately: The information is not available in the format requested. Data showing demographic and regional information on the number of people tested is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-test-and-trace-england-statistics-18-february-to-24-february-2021

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the reasons why people are being provided with different self-isolation end dates by the NHS Track and Trace app and the NHS text messaging service.

Helen Whately: There are a number of reasons why the NHS COVID-19 app’s isolation countdown may differ from what people have been told by NHS Test and Trace in England.The COVID-19 app support website provides further advice at the following links:https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/article/KA-01147/en-ushttps://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/article/KA-01146/en-us

Coronavirus: Screening

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand free covid-19 testing to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Helen Whately: Organisations with fewer than 50 employees can access tests via local community testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the list of symptoms which trigger a covid-19 test.

Helen Whately: Scientific experts keep the symptoms under review as our understanding of the virus develops.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which date a person should follow in the event that self-isolation end dates differ between the NHS Track and Trace app and the NHS text message service; and what steps he will take to publicise his guidance on this issue.

Helen Whately: If the app advises a person to self-isolate for a shorter period of time than the period advised by contact tracers, they must self-isolate for the time advised by contact tracers in order to comply with the law. If the app advises a longer period than the period advised by contact tracers, then the additional time period identified by the app is advisory but is a recommended precaution.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often individuals and their recent contacts who are required to self-isolate are contacted; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the monitoring of adherence to the requirement to self-isolate.

Helen Whately: NHS Test and Trace contacts those who have tested positive and the close recent contacts they provide by text, email and/or telephone and will call up to 10 times. NHS Test and Trace subsequently maintains contact with each person who is self-isolating on days four and seven of their self-isolation period. SMS messages or e-mails are sent on days two, five and eight. NHS Test and Trace has carried out surveys of reported compliance with self-isolation for people who have tested positive and their contacts. Data is being compiled an assessment of the effectiveness of the monitoring of adherence to self-isolation has yet to be completed.

Coronavirus: Screening

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Government department is responsible for collecting the number of covid-19 tests that have gone missing.

Helen Whately: While tests are not labelled as ‘missing’, the Test and Trace team within the Department collects the number of tests which have been booked but not processed. This includes home test kits which have not been returned; test site appointments which were booked but not attended; and other reasons.

Test and Trace Support Payment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps people who are required to self isolate should take to claim their self isolation payment when they have engaged with NHS Track and Trace but have not been given a Test and Trace identification number.

Helen Whately: If a person has tested positive for COVID-19 or are told to self-isolate by contact tracers, they would be given an NHS Test and Trace Account ID.However, if the app has advised self-isolation because there has been close contact with someone who has tested positive, the individual should request a NHS Test and Trace Account ID which can be done by following a link in the app. This must be done during the self-isolation period and cannot be requested after the self-isolation period ends.

Joint Replacements: Surgery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity among (a) orthopaedic surgeons and (b) anaesthetists to catch up on delayed joint replacement surgeries for people who have had their surgery delayed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: No central assessment has been made. As part of the 2021/22 priorities and operational planning guidance, NHS England has set out the importance of looking after staff and helping them recover.National Health Service systems have been asked to rapidly draw up delivery plans for elective recovery that maximise available physical and workforce capacity across their system including the independent sector.

NHS Test and Trace: Consultants

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Government has spent on external consultants on the NHS Test and Trace programme to date.

Helen Whately: For the 2020/21 financial year, the NHS Test and Trace programme has budgeted £438 million for professional services, which includes external consultants. Actual expenditure on professional services will be published when annual accounts have been audited.

Coronavirus: Screening

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis was for his decision (a) to implement mass covid-19 testing of secondary school pupils in London and the South-East and (b) not to implement that testing in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) other regions of England.

Helen Whately: The decision to implement testing of secondary school pupils in London and the South East on 10 December was based on public health recommendations informed by a comparative analysis by region of the following factors: case rates in all age groups and, in particular, among over 60 year olds; how quickly case rates were rising or falling; the number of positive cases as a proportion of tests taken; current and projected pressure on the National Health Service; and other circumstances such as local outbreaks. At the time, the case rates in London and the South East were 271 and 217 respectively per 100,000 population, compared with 208 in the region with the next highest case rates.

NHS Test and Trace: Databases

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2021 to Question 153230, on NHS Test and Trace: Databases, on (a) how many occasions and (b) what dates he has met with representatives of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) since 29 January 2021 to finalise the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his Department and the NPCC; and when his Department plans to publish that MoU.

Helen Whately: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not met with representatives of the National Police Chiefs Council since 29 January 2021 to finalise the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU was updated to reflect amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 and was published on 24 March 2021. We have agreed a review process with all parties, with the next review to take place on 16 April. The MoU is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/972961/umbrella-memorandum-of-understanding-between-DHSC-and-NPCC-March-2021.pdf

Coronavirus: Older People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the three-month trend in the level of covid-19 infection among over-60s in London.

Helen Whately: The Office for National Statistics’ study shows that for those aged 50-69 years old, estimates of infection increased from 0.2% in mid-September to 0.8% in the last week of October before decreasing to 0.6% at the beginning of December.The Real-Time Assessment of Community Transmission REACT-1 data also shows infection levels in over 60 year olds was 0.2% in September, 0.8% in October, 0.1% in November 0.4% at the beginning of December.

Test and Trace Support Payment

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of £500 Test and Trace Support Payment.

Helen Whately: The Government keeps all elements of its COVID-19 response under review, including the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. We have listened to feedback from charities and support groups and are now extending the scheme to summer 2021, increasing the amount of money available to local authorities to make discretionary payments to people not on means-tested benefits to £20 million per month and expanding eligibility for the scheme to cover parents and guardians who need to take time off work to care for a child who is self-isolating. We are working with all 314 district and unitary local authorities in England to implement these changes as soon as possible.

Nutrition: Health Education

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to take to promote awareness on healthy portion sizes for food and drink.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England’s (PHE) Better Health programme provides tips on what a healthy balanced diet looks like, including information on portions sizes. For those trying to lose weight, the website and NHS Weight Loss app include suggestions such as trying smaller plates and bowls to help reduce portion sizes at mealtimes, aiming for two or more portions of veg and ensuring wholegrain foods take up no more than a third of a plate.PHE’s OneYou Easy Meals app provides recipes with suggested portions for each recipe in line with nutritional requirements for adults. All recipes carry front of pack information per portion. The OneYou website also directs to the Eatwell Guide to support people in achieving a balanced diet. The Change4Life website includes information and advice for parents when feeding their children including on ‘me size meals’ and guidance on calories when choosing packaged snacks.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on whether there is a casual link between the Oxford AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine and incidences of blood clots.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 18 March 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the United Kingdom regulator responsible for investigating medicines safety concerns, issued a statement setting out that the available evidence did not suggest that blood clots in veins are caused by the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This followed a rigorous scientific review of all the available data, including a detailed review of report cases as well as data from hospital admissions and general practitioner records. This has been confirmed by the Government’s independent advisory group, the Commission on Human Medicines, whose expert scientists and clinicians have also reviewed the available data.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of care home (a) staff and (b) residents have received a (i) first dose and (ii) second dose of a covid-19 vaccination to date.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have received the (a) Oxford AstraZeneca and (b) Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 and have since experienced adverse reactions.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Yellow Card scheme is a mechanism by which anybody can voluntarily report any suspected adverse reactions or side effects to the vaccine. It should be noted that a Yellow Card report does not necessarily mean the vaccine caused that reaction or event. Reports to the scheme are known as suspected adverse reactions. As of 7 March 2021, for the United Kingdom, 35,325 Yellow Cards have been reported for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 61,304 have been reported for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and 281 have been reported where the brand of the vaccine was not specified. For both vaccines the overall reporting rate is around three to six Yellow Cards per 1,000 doses administered.

Coronavirus: Children

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential disproportionate effect of long covid on BAME children.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We know more about the impact of the virus following Public Health England’s report on COVID-19 and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. However, as ‘long’ COVID-19 is an emerging condition, a better understanding of how it affects under-represented communities is needed.

Travel: Quarantine

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the need for UK citizens who have received both doses of the covid-19 vaccination while abroad to take two covid-19 tests during their period of quarantine on return to the UK.

Jo Churchill: There are currently no plans to exempt people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine from mandatory testing when returning from abroad.

Travel: Quarantine

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the contracts signed with hotel providers for hotel border quarantine included food standards to meet Department of Health and Social Care's recommendations on (a) daily fruit and vegetable intake, (b) other aspects of healthy daily nutrition; what mechanisms are in place to monitor the (i) quality and (ii) timeliness of the food provided; if he will take steps to ensure that the food provided is good quality, nutritious and provided on time; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: We have contracted with Corporate Travel Management to provide hotels. Hotels are given operating procedures which provide instructions to deliver three meals per day to be chosen from a menu and ordered by guests. Fresh fruit is included in the rooms and guests can request additional vegetables as required. It is also possible for those quarantining to have additional items delivered to them during the quarantine period such as food deliveries or via room service at the guest’s own cost. Guest feedback is used to monitor food choice, timeliness and quality.

Travel: Quarantine

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide a breakdown of the (a) food and (b) other costs covered in the £1,750 hotel quarantine package rate for one adult in one room for 10 days, 11 nights.

Jo Churchill: This information is not held in the format requested. The proportion of each element of the quarantine costs will vary by location. The package includes the costs of transport from the port of arrival to the designated hotel, food, accommodation, security, other essential services and testing.

Cancer: Health Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were waiting more than 62 days for initial treatment for cancer in the London Borough of Redbridge in the most recent period for which that information is available.

Jo Churchill: Most recent official data for Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) shows in January 2021, 19 out of 24 cancer patients were treated within the 85% threshold, against the 62-day general practitioner referral to first treatment for cancer standard. Five patients waited over 62 days for their first cancer treatment at Redbridge CCG.

Travel: Quarantine

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update his guidance on booking and staying in a quarantine hotel on arrival in England to include information on arrangements for people in need of wheelchair assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: All hotel partners can accommodate people with mobility issues and will provide appropriate facilities. There are contact details on the booking portal for help and support with booking accessible accommodation.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review the cost of covid-19 testing for the Test to Release scheme and (b) exempt people who are returning to the UK from work-related travel from payment of that cost.

Jo Churchill: The costs of the Test to Release scheme are kept under regular review. We currently have no plans to exempt people from the cost of the testing package who are returning to the United Kingdom from work-related travel.

Public Health: Parks

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many joint parks and public health strategies have been produced by local authorities since 2016; and whether he plans to make the production of such strategies a statutory duty.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not held centrally. We have no plans to make the production of joint parks and public health strategies a statutory duty. It is for local authorities to determine how they can most effectively act to improve the health of their local populations.

Travel: Quarantine

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions his Department has made for people travelling to England from a country on the banned travel list who cannot afford to pay for the mandatory covid-19 hotel quarantine package.

Jo Churchill: For those facing significant financial hardship as a result of the charge, there is an opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking. We have set out how to apply for this on GOV.UK, in particular for individuals who receive income related benefits.

HIV Infection: Screening

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on updating guidance on HIV indicator testing in line with NICE and BHIVA guidelines.

Jo Churchill: No specific discussions have been held with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. HIV testing in England is currently provided through specialist sexual health services including on-line test kits and in some general practitioner practices and emergency departments. The Government recognises the importance of HIV testing to meet its commitment to end new HIV transmissions by 2030 and will consider issues relating to HIV testing as part of the development of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.

HIV Infection: Screening

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve the HIV testing rates in patients presenting with HIV indicator conditions in England.

Jo Churchill: HIV testing in England is currently provided through specialist sexual health services including on-line test kits and in some general practitioner practices and emergency departments. The Government recognises the importance of HIV testing to meet its commitment to end new HIV transmissions by 2030 and will consider issues relating to HIV testing as part of the development of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.

Coronavirus: Travel

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing the covid-19 hotel quarantine system with a PCR test to allow entry into the UK.

Jo Churchill: All international arrivals to England are already required to take a test within the 72 before arriving in England and present a negative test certificate to their carrier. Due to the increased risk of new variants entering the United Kingdom, introducing mandatory testing on days two and eight for all international arrivals and managed quarantine facilities for those arriving from high-risk countries safeguards public health, reduces transmission of the virus and protects the vaccine programme.

Food: Marketing

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2021 to Question 153180 on Food: Marketing, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of policies in the Government’s strategy, entitled Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, on the ability of food and drink manufacturers to promote reformulated products.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2021 to Question 153180 on Food: Marketing, whether he has plans to introduce new incentives for food and drink manufacturers to continue to reformulate products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.

Jo Churchill: Incentives already exist for businesses to reformulate their products including reformulating to achieve the Nutrient Profiling Model threshold to become out of scope of the promotion restrictions, meeting Public Health England's reformulation programme guidelines, consumer demand for healthier products and the possibility of making nutrition claims. As outlined in the ‘Restricting location promotions of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products: impact assessment’, there would be non-monetised health benefits from manufacturers reformulating their HFSS products providing a reduction in fat, salt and sugar in products. In addition, preventing obesity related ill health will also result in a healthier workforce, which is likely to be more productive. The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar by location and by volume are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/restricting-promotions-of-food-and-drink-that-is-high-in-fat-sugar-and-salt

Nutrition

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with food and drink manufacturers on reducing portion sizes.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) has discussed various approaches that can be taken to reduce portion sizes with industry sectors including retailers, manufacturers and the eating out of home sector. It is for individual businesses to consider and decide how best to apply this. Reducing portion size is one mechanism for industry action that can be employed in reformulation programmes. Calorie-based portion size guidelines covering food and drink consumed in and out of the home have been set in the sugar and calorie reduction programmes PHE oversees for the Government. The salt reduction programme includes maximum salt targets for portions of food served out of the home. There will be continued engagement with stakeholders on all parts of the programme. Updates on engagement are published regularly at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-and-wider-reformulation-stakeholder-engagement

Food and Drinks: Advertising

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken steps to protect (a) businesses and (b) jobs in the food and drink manufacturing industry from the potential effect of restrictions on the advertising, promotion and placement of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on businesses of the policies proposed in the paper Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: We carefully consider all views and potential impacts of our measures to reduce obesity. This includes ongoing engagement and feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders, including those from the food and drink manufacturing sector on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations. Introducing legislation across the market will ensure that a level playing field is created within the retail sector as well as across the wider food industry. We have conducted two consultations on introducing further advertising restrictions for products that are high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS). We have considered the impact any restrictions will have on industry in terms of lost revenue and any business sectors that will see greater impacts. This has been balanced against the impact advertising of HFSS food and drink has on children’s consumption, preferences and ultimately their weight. We have kept these, along with other factors, in mind whist we develop our final policy position. More detail on any steps taken to protect industry will be outlined in our consultation response, due to be published later this year.

Dental Services: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to maintain the number of NHS dental services in Sheffield.

Jo Churchill: NHS England plans to maintain the number of dental practices in Sheffield.

General Practitioners: Hampshire

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the closure of Guildhall Walk GP Practice in September 2021, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS GP practices in (a) Hampshire and (b) Portsmouth South constituency.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement are accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England and NHS Improvement will assess the need for a replacement provider before transferring patients to alternative practices. There are a number of high-quality practices in the Portsmouth area ready to take on new patients and the University Practice will move to significantly larger, purpose-built premises in Commercial Road at the end of this year.

Nutrition

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of introducing portion control to support Public Health England’s reduction and reformulation programmes in relation to (a) sugar, (b) salt and (c) calories.

Jo Churchill: Reducing portion size is one mechanism for industry action that can be employed in reformulation programmes. Calorie-based portion size guidelines covering food and drink consumed in and out of the home have been included in the sugar and calorie reduction programmes Public Health England oversees for the Government. The salt reduction programme includes maximum salt targets for portions of food served out of the home. Reductions in portion size should reduce the number of calories, and amount of salt and sugar, consumed. An impact assessment, published in September 2020, showed that if the ambitions of the calorie reduction programme were achieved in full by in home retailers and manufacturers, it would result in a 6.8% reduction in calories sold per portion.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February to Question 157295 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing, if he will publish those reviews and the scientific evidence upon which they were based.

Jo Churchill: Copies of the reviews ‘Face coverings in the community and COVID-19: a rapid review’ and ‘Face coverings in the community and COVID-19 A rapid review (update 1)’ are enclosed. Both documents contain references to the scientific literature that was reviewed as part of the study.Rapid Review (pdf, 935.1KB)Rapid Review (pdf, 718.4KB)

NHS: Reviews

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the final report of the NHS Health Checks Review.

Jo Churchill: The report of the Review will be published in spring/summer 2021.

Smoking

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government's target to reduce the number of adults who smoke to less than 12 per cent by 2022 is still in place.

Jo Churchill: Current smoking prevalence in adults is at a historic low of 13.9%. The ambition set in the current Tobacco Control Plan to reduce adult smoking prevalence to 12% or less by the end of 2022 remains. A new Tobacco Control plan is due to be published later this year and will set out further ambitions to deliver a smoke free country by 2030.

Dental Services: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people in Havering are able to access urgent dental treatment using local NHS dentists.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with a large practice in Havering, which has provided general dental care as well as urgent dental care access throughout the pandemic. This practice also provides an out of hours service and NHS England and NHS Improvement have extended this service until September 2021, when they will review patient access and extend further if necessary. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working closely with other practices and the Local Dental Committee to review access across London.Access is not limited to the Borough of Havering and patients can make an appointment with any dentist in London. In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through a National Health Service dental practice, they should contact NHS 111 for assistance.

Asthma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department amended the definition of severe asthma sufferers as those who were formally shielding, regularly take steroid tablets or had ever had an emergency hospital admission; and what impact assessment was undertaken before that definition was amended.

Jo Churchill: People suffering from severe asthma are more likely to have had an emergency hospital admission or have taken oral steroids for a specified frequency. These criteria were behind the decision to include severe asthma sufferers as part of priority group six for vaccination.Regarding shielding, patients with severe asthma were identified as being priority group four or clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) by two routes. An algorithm was used to identify patients who received high levels of certain asthma medication. Inpatients were also directly added to the CEV list by a clinician in either primary or secondary care following the shielding advice for those with severe respiratory conditions, which was published by the British Thoracic Society in April 2020.

Obesity

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the role sensible portion sizes play in helping to tackle obesity.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) has not made a specific assessment. The Government’s reduction and reformulation programme includes reducing portion size as one mechanism that can be used by all sectors of the food industry. Calorie-based portion size guidelines covering food and drink consumed in and out of the home have been included in the sugar and calorie reduction programmes that Public Health England oversees for the Government.

HIV Infection

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities experienced by people with HIV and AIDS.

Jo Churchill: The Government has committed to developing a Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021. We will consider issues related to health inequalities experienced by people living with HIV, tackling stigma and discrimination and other relevant issues as part of the process to develop the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and HIV Action Plan.

General Practitioners: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that GPs offer face-to-face appointments to patients during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued guidance on the importance of continuing to offer face to face appointments, utilising remote triage and making use of online and telephone consultations where appropriate – whilst considering the needs of those unable to access or engage with digital services. On 7 January 2021 NHS England and NHS Improvement set out further details on the actions to release capacity in general practice as well as priorities for the next quarter. This includes maintaining routine appointments, supporting the clinically extremely vulnerable and those with ‘long’ COVID-19 and continuing to reduce the backlog of appointments.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding by Healthwatch England in the update to its report on Dentistry and the impact of covid-19 dated 8 February 2021, that access to dentistry remains difficult for more than seven in 10 people, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of that finding; and what steps his Department is taking to improve access to dentistry.

Jo Churchill: The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer for England to increase levels of service, as fast as is safely possible. Dental practices have been able to open for face to face care from 8 June, supported by over 600 urgent dental care centres across the country. NHS England and NHS Improvement have set out guidance that dentists should focus on care that is urgent, care to vulnerable groups and then overdue routine appointments. In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through a National Health Service dental practice, they should contact NHS 111 for assistance.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update Public Health England guidance on personal protective equipment in response to (a) the new more transmissible strains of the virus and (b) inadequate ventilation in hospitals to ensure all healthcare workers in covid-19 wards are able to access fluid resistant surgical masks.

Jo Churchill: The personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations for use in the National Health Service are set out in the infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance, which was updated on 21 January and is available on GOV.UK. According to the guidance, Type IIR fluid resistant surgical masks should be worn when providing direct care within two metres of a suspected/confirmed COVID-19 case. As such, these masks are distributed to health and care settings by the Department. Due to the identification of new COVID-19 variants, the United Kingdom Infection Prevention Control Cell conducted a comprehensive review and assessed the available evidence in order to inform any necessary changes to the guidance for health workers, including recommended levels of PPE. Based on the evidence, they concluded that current PPE recommendations remain appropriate. Emerging evidence and data on variant strains will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance will be updated accordingly if needed.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that undocumented migrants will be able to access covid-19 vaccinations without fear of immigration enforcement action.

Nadhim Zahawi: Vaccination against COVID-19 is offered to every adult living in the United Kingdom free of charge, regardless of immigration status. No immigration checks are needed to receive these services and the National Health Service is not required to report undocumented migrants to the Home Office.

Coronavirus: Screening

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that lateral flow tests are administered by trained professionals.

Helen Whately: Evidence suggests that those with no clinical background or training should be completely able to secure an effective sample. International peer-reviewed evidence suggests that self-swabbing is just as effective at securing a valid sample as clinician-administered testing. Each kit comes with comprehensive instructions on how to administer the swab.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to people who do not have internet access at home to book a covid-19 vaccination appointment.

Nadhim Zahawi: The National Booking Service is primarily sending physical invite letters to registered addresses. These letters give the option of booking online or by the free 119 phone line. Others can make an appointment on behalf of individuals who are not able to do so themselves. Follow up phone calls and letters are made to those who have been sent an initial letter but have not responded.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering covid-19 vaccination to patients before planned in-patient hospital surgeries.

Nadhim Zahawi: Timing of vaccinations for vulnerable patients before planned in-patient hospital surgeries, who are not eligible for a vaccination under phase one prioritisation, is a decision for clinicians responsible for their care. The clinicians would take into account their risk of contracting COVID-19, relative to the potential impact of the vaccine on their treatment.

Syringes

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 166312 on Syringes, what proportion of the syringes procured were produced in the UK.

Nadhim Zahawi: None of the combined needles and syringes associated with COVID-19 vaccine administration procured by Public Health England were produced in the United Kingdom.

Question

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral contribution of 15 September 2020, Official Report, column 185, if he will publish the source of the data which shows 484 people receiving covid-19 tests in Luton on 14 September 2020.

Helen Whately: The source of this data is the Test and Trace Weekly Statistical bulletin. The data provided immediately and there are some cases where a test is registered after the day it has been taken, which means that the number of tests can increase slightly over time.The updated data is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-coronavirus-tests-processed-by-local-authority-england-28-may-to-16-september-2020

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of care home (a) residents and (b) staff have been offered each covid-19 dose to date; and how many have refused that vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: The top four priority groups including those aged 70 years old and over, care home residents and staff, have now all been offered the vaccine.Information regarding the number of people who refuse a vaccine is not collected and data on vaccination invitations issued is not centrally held.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2021 to Question 109345 on Coronavirus: Disease Control, what the cost to the public purse was of the in-app notifications provided by Instagram and Facebook to the users of their platforms.

Helen Whately: These notifications were implemented by Facebook and Instagram at no cost to the Government.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the (a) Head of the NHS Test and Trace programme and (b) Government's scientific advisers with expertise on behavioural science on the reasons that people with covid-19 symptoms do not come forward for a covid-19 test; what assessment he has made of the effect of the (i) amount of and (ii) accessibility of Government financial support for people on low incomes to self-isolate on the numbers of people with covid-19 symptoms coming forward for a covid-19 test; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly discusses a range of issues relating to COVID-19 with NHS Test and Trace and scientific advisers.The objective of the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is to support people on low incomes to self-isolate when they test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as a recent contact of someone who has tested positive and to encourage more people to get tested.While no specific assessment has been made of the amount and accessibility of such support, we are working closely with all 314 local authorities in England to monitor and assess its effectiveness.

Hospitals: Visits

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to amend covid-19 guidance to allow both parents to visit children in hospital together.

Edward Argar: Revised hospital visiting guidance was published on 16 March 2021. This guidance confirms that both parents/guardians are permitted to visit a child in hospital in circumstances where the family bubble can be maintained. However, anyone with a positive test or showing symptoms of COVID-19 should not visit.The revised guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C1112-visiting-healthcare-inpatient-settings-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-v2.pdf

Department of Health and Social Care: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Edward Argar: The Department does not frequently procure capital assets or other contracts that require the direct procurement of steel. The Department does not hold centrally any data on the procurement of steel in the National Health Service or its arm’s length bodies.

Public Health England

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) how many and (b) on what topics Ministerial Directions have been issued by his Department to Public Health England.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England has not received any ministerial directions since its inception in April 2013.

Autism: Coronavirus

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that autistic adults who need a social care assessment are able to receive one during the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to autistic adults during the covid-19 outbreak who normally receive social care in the community.

Helen Whately: We recognise the significant impact that the pandemic has had on autistic people including those who normally receive social care in the community. We have enabled access to the National Health Service volunteer responder scheme, developed tailored guidance for autistic people, informed by stakeholders, and funded autism and learning disability charities with more than £1 million to provide support.

Department for Education

Crafts: Apprentices

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships across a range of traditional craft skills broken down by craft.

Gillian Keegan: We have introduced new high-quality apprenticeship standards which are developed and designed by employers to meet the skills needs of their sectors. There are currently 600 high-quality standards available to employers and apprentices, at a range of levels and across a broad range of industries.Groups of employers can propose apprenticeship standards for development to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute), which will fall into one of 15 occupational routes for technical education, based on the Sainsbury Panel recommendations. We do not hold a definitive list of craft occupations but within the Creative and Design route, where occupations considered to be traditional crafts are likely to feature, apprenticeship standards include Bookbinder and Leather Craftsperson at level 2 and Bespoke Furniture at level 3. We continue to work closely with the Institute to ensure there are sufficient standards to meet employer demand. A full list of available standards can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/.To help employers in all sectors offer new apprenticeships, they will be able to claim a higher payment of £3,000 for every new apprentice they hire between 1 April and 30 September 2021 as part of the government's Plan for Jobs. The increased payment makes it a great time for employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities and to take advantage of existing flexibilities to train apprentices in a way that suits their needs.We are committed to supporting employers of all sizes to offer apprenticeships. In the 2021-22 financial year, we are making available £2.5 billion to support apprenticeships in all employers, irrespective of their size.From 1 April 2021, all small to medium-sized enterprises arranging new apprenticeship starts will do so through the apprenticeship service, as levy payers do now. This will give them more control over their apprenticeship choices and the ability to reserve funds before choosing the provider that best meets their needs. We continue to work with smaller employers to give them the confidence and support to take on new apprentices.

Ministry of Justice

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing and exemption for police forces from HM Courts & Tribunals Service fees for all civil order applications issued in support of operational policing to reduce crime and protect the vulnerable.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice does not consider it appropriate to introduce a blanket exemption for police forces from HM Courts & Tribunals Service fees for all civil order applications. However, we will continue to work closely with all government departments, including the Home Office, to ensure these fees are set at the appropriate levels. In 2019/2020, there was a net fee income of £724m against the £2bn running costs of HMCTS. It is only right that we seek to recover a contribution towards the costs of providing these services from court and tribunal users – including public authorities – where they can afford to do so. These contributions are used to fund a more effective and efficient courts service and support wider access to justice.

Gender Based Violence

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure all funding and commissioning processes that relate to Violence Against Women and Girls recognise and value specialist support provision as required under the Istanbul Convention.

Kit Malthouse: Addressing gender-based violence and abuse, and improving support and outcomes for victims and survivors, is a top priority for the Government. These crimes have a terrible, profound and lasting effect on society.The Government published our progress towards ratification of the Istanbul Convention in October 2020. We recognise the important role support services play in ensuring that all survivors of these crimes can access the support they need to help them cope and recover from their experiences.As part of this commitment, the Ministry of Justice (who is only one of many funding sources for specialist support provision) provides funding to 91 rape support services across England and Wales to provide free, independent, specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence, including victims of child sexual abuse.In 2020-21 rape support services received £12m (an uplift of 50% per funded centre from 2019/20) in recognition of the extra demand placed upon them and to reduce waiting lists.In 2021-22, we will provide just under £151m for victim and witness support services. This includes an extra £51m to increase support for rape and domestic abuse victims, building on the emergency funding from this financial year to help domestic abuse and sexual violence services meet Covid-driven demand. This compares to a total budget of £48.5m in 2010-2011. £27 million will go to creating more than 700 new posts for Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisers. Research shows if a victim is supported, they are around 50% more likely to stay engaged in the criminal justice system. £20.7 million for local, community-based sexual violence and domestic abuse services, helping to reduce the amount of time survivors have to wait for support. £2 million for smaller specialist organisations helping BAME, LGBTQ+ or disabled victims. £1.3 million for remote and online services – allowing more victims to access support while at home. £800k of this will go to Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors (FLOWS), a digital tool that helps victims of domestic abuse to apply for emergency protection from the courts. Police and Crime Commissioners will receive £68m from this fund this year to commission support services based on local need, including support for victims of VAWG based crimes.In recognition of increased demand, the Rape and Sexual Abuse Fund has been extended for a further year, extending the funding provided to these services to four years (2019-2023) to provide the sector with the stability they need and we will continue to work closely with them to monitor demand.

Tobacco: Children

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many businesses selling shisha were prosecuted for selling shisha tobacco to under-18s in each of the past three calendar years.

Chris Philp: It is not possible to separately identify prosecutions for the specific offence of selling shisha tobacco to under-18s in the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database. Details on prosecutions and outcomes relating to the broader offence of “144 Selling Tobacco to Juvenile” can be found by selecting the offence in the ‘Offence’ filter of the following tool:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938568/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx These offences fall under the legislation of Children and Young Persons (Sale of Tobacco etc.) Order 2007, amending the previous Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991.

Smoking: Fines

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value of fines was issued to businesses providing shisha/water pipes for allowing smoking within substantially or fully enclosed public spaces in each of the last three calendar years.

Chris Philp: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Smoking: Fines

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many businesses were fined in each of the last three calendar years for allowing the use of shisha/water pipe within substantially or fully enclosed public spaces.

Chris Philp: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the speed of vaccinations of (a) staff and (b) prisoners in prison on the rate of covid-19 recovery in prison regimes.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Covid-19 roadmap out of lockdown, published on 22 February 2021, what steps he is taking to establish a timeline for covid-19 recovery in prisons in England and Wales during 2021.

Alex Chalk: In line with changes to the stay at home guidance and travel restrictions in the community, over the coming weeks and months we will support establishments to ease some of the regime restrictions currently in place. This will be done when it is safe to do so and guided by public health advice. The vaccination programme, led by NHS, is making good progress and has recently expanded to start vaccinating those prisoners in priority groups 7 - 9, in line with the wider community timelines. The safety of our staff and prisoners remains a top priority. Our measures have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. A comprehensive regime of testing staff weekly and prisoners on reception and transfer is in place and is key in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to evaluate the potential merits of proposals to limit association within prison regimes to small groups (a) during and (b) after covid-19 recovery.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the implications for (a) normal daily time out of cell for prisoners, (b) on-wing staffing needs, (c) access to healthcare, (d) access to offending behaviour programmes, and (e) access to education of different possible limits on the size of groups of prisoners unlocked simultaneously for association.

Alex Chalk: The functioning of prison regimes is pivotal to enabling prisoners to access offending behaviour programmes and education and for ensuring their essential needs, such as physical exercise and healthcare, are met. During the pandemic, we have had to place restrictions on prison regimes to save lives and protect the NHS, guided by public health advice. As it becomes safe to do so, we will ease these restrictions, and we continue to review how regimes should operate currently and in the future. In doing so, the Government is looking closely at the evidence, to build upon the lessons learned during the pandemic and review elements of the daily routine that can be adapted at a local level. Given the variation between different prisons, both in terms of their categorisation and their physical layout, regimes will continue to be tailored to take account of the particular circumstances of each prison.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on covid-19 recovery in prisons in England and Wales of the proportion of staff who are new entrants to the service and have little or no experience of pre-covid regimes.

Alex Chalk: All newly recruited Prison Officers receive Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) which is an eight-week course designed to prepare new officers by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their role in pre-COVID regimes. The safety of our staff and prisoners remains a top priority. Our measures have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers and compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. A comprehensive testing regime of staff weekly and prisoners on reception and transfer is in place and is key in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Pakistan

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress her Department has made on negotiating a free trade agreement with Pakistan.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government continues to work with Pakistan to improve the terms of our trading relationship. Pakistan is already granted trade preferences under the Enhanced Framework of our Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and we are currently reviewing GSP to make it simpler and more generous for both our partners and businesses to use. A public consultation on GSP will be launched in the coming months.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the United Kingdom’s steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. This includes making sure that United Kingdom producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government’s major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is United Kingdom-produced.We expect to publish the 2019/20 data later this year, and will start collating the data on United Kingdom steel procured in 2020/21.

Park Homes: Regulation

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer 12 March 2021 to Question 165438, if he will facilitate the introduction of primary legislation on park homes through a successful hon. Member in the ballot for Private Members' Bills in the 2021-22 Parliamentary Session.

Christopher Pincher: In our response to the review of park homes legislation, we announced that we would introduce primary legislation to improve protections for park home residents.We will consider all available options and introduce the required legislation when the parliamentary timetable allows.

Affordable Housing: Cambridgeshire

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2021 to Question 167223 on Affordable Housing: Cambridgeshire, if he will publish the specific metrics used to evaluate (a) delivery and (b) value for money.

Christopher Pincher: To reach a decision on the Cambridgeshire £100 million housing programme, the Department assessed a range of factors including value for money considerations.

Housing: Older People

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the building of homes designed for use by the elderly.

Christopher Pincher: We are working closely with the sector and across Government to look at how we can further support the building of homes designed for use by the elderly.We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, where 10 per cent of delivery over the course of the programme will be used to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are also continuing to subsidise new supply of specialist housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund. £71 million will be provided for CASSH in 2021/22.Furthermore, as part of our ongoing work on planning reform, we hosted a series of roundtables during the formal consultation period for the White Paper, which included representatives from the retirement development sector. We will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders as we further develop our proposals.The Government also recently consulted on raising the accessibility standards of new homes, recognising the importance of suitable homes for older and disabled people. We are currently considering responses and will be publishing a Government response.

Housing: Sales

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the home buying and selling process.

Christopher Pincher: We identified a number of ways we intended to improve the home buying and selling process in our response to a Call for Evidence on ways to improve the home buying and selling process which was published in April 2018. We are working with industry to take these forward.

Property Searches

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve the process of property searches to speed up home buying and selling.

Christopher Pincher: As part of our work to improve the home buying and selling process, the Government sets an expectation that all local authorities will turn around searches in 10 working days, and the latest data shows that 87% of local authorities are meeting this target. We are aware that authorities have worked hard to maintain this service during this difficult period In addition, HM Land Registry is implementing a digital national register of Local Land Charges and provision of property searches will improve as this process covers more local authorities.

Housing: Sales

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure buyers and sellers can access effective guidance on buying and selling homes.

Christopher Pincher: In September 2019 we published detailed “How to sell” and “How to buy” guides, which are freely available on the Gov.uk website, and lead consumers through the full length of the process. Since March 2020 we published COVID-19 guidance to the housing industry and to those moving home, advising them on how they can work and move home safely.

Home Ownership: Rother Valley

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support home ownership in Rother Valley constituency.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to helping people get on the housing ladder across the country Over 685,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since spring 2010 through Government-backed schemes such as Help to Buy: Equity Loan and Right to Buy. New initiatives including First Homes, improving shared ownership and a new £11.5 billion affordable homes programme will bring more affordable housing to those who need it In Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced an extension of the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday for properties up to £500,000, saving buyers many thousands of pounds. We recognise finding a deposit is the biggest hurdle for many prospective buyers. The new mortgage guarantee scheme will increase the number of 95% mortgages available.

Property Development: Green Belt

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect the green belt against development.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to continuing to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Under the reforms put forward in the White Paper Planning for the Future, local authorities would still be expected to categorise Green Belts as areas for protection.The policies in our National Planning Policy Framework on the protection of the Green Belt, and the strong encouragement to prioritise re-use of suitable brownfield land, will remain in place.

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: Service Charges

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on whether the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Service Charge Residential Management Code would be best strengthened by way of statute.

Christopher Pincher: The law is clear that service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to work or services, the work or services must be of a reasonable standard. Leaseholders may make an application to the First-tier Tribunal to make a determination on the reasonableness of their service charges.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Service Charge Residential Management Code complements this. This is approved by the Secretary of State under powers contained in Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and can be taken into account at court or tribunal proceedings where relevant.

Building Safety Fund: Leasehold

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the administration cost of collecting contributions towards the Building Safety Fund from leaseholders living in residential buildings 18 metres and over.

Christopher Pincher: We do not expect any contributions towards the Building Safety Fund from leaseholders. The additional £3.5 billion announced on 10 February provides assurance for leaseholders that all eligible applications to the Building Safety Fund will be able to proceed and that Government will fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres and over in England.

New Towns: South Cambridgeshire

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.129 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, what progress has been made on the development of a further new town in South Cambridgeshire.

Christopher Pincher: The new town being proposed in South West Cambridgeshire is a private initiative being promoted by the developers Thakeham, and is a matter for the local planning authority. The Government has no plans for an additional new town in this location or elsewhere in South Cambridgeshire beyond the commitment we announced in 2020 to explore opportunities at Cambourne and the sustainable and sensitive expansion of Cambridge. Government has not yet made any decision to take forward opportunities at Cambourne or Cambridge as part of this work and any potential future plans would be subject to all necessary and appropriate public consultation.

Planning: Greater London

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the White Paper, Planning for the Future, whether Metropolitan Open Land will be included in the protected category of land.

Christopher Pincher: Last year’s Planning for the Future White Paper proposed a new format of local plan where all land is put into one of three categories - areas for growth, for renewal or for protection. It proposed that protected areas would be those where recognised constraints exist, such as National Parks and the Green Belt, alongside open countryside.Since publication, we have continued to engage with stakeholders to develop and refine the proposals as set out in the White Paper. We will publish a Government response setting out our decisions on the way forward.

Local Plans

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the proposed relationship between the current neighbourhood plans and the proposed local plans in the Planning for the Future White Paper.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to simplifying Local Plans and retaining neighbourhood planning as part of the future planning system, and we intend to publish further details.

Buildings: Insulation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring a fire safety test for buildings with unsafe cladding to ensure the other fire safety regulations were correctly adhered to at the time of building.

Christopher Pincher: Measures being taken through the Fire Safety Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, will clarify the Fire Safety Order to put beyond doubt that structure, external walls and flat entrance doors must be included in fire risk assessments. The Bill will also allow enforcement action to be taken confidently by Fire and Rescue Authorities, where necessary.

Housing: Construction

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of homes needed to be built per year to meet demand.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to building one million homes over the course of the Parliament, and in 2019/20 net additions to the housing stock totalled 243,770 – the highest total for over thirty years. The Government recently published a revised standard method for calculating local housing need which is used by Local Planning Authorities in planning for the housing needs in their area.

Hate Crime: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of the £375,000 grant allocated to True Vision in 2017 has been (a) allocated and (b) spent on the Sikh community.

Luke Hall: MHCLG provided £250,000 to True Vision for the financial years 2016/17 and 2017/18 of which £25,000 was earmarked for supporting Sikh and Hindu communities.

Local Government Finance: Bury

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much financial support the Government allocated to Bury Council in financial year 2020-21.

Luke Hall: Bury Council’s Core Spending Power rose from £135.6 million in 2019-20 to £145.4 million in 2020-21, a 7.2% increase in cash terms. In addition, the council has received £28.1 million in direct funding to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, of which £15.6 million is unringfenced grant. The council will also have received other grants from government departments for specific purposes.

Free Zones

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of tariff-free arrangements for materials imported through a freeport on  the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing.

Luke Hall: Government is committed to supporting UK manufacturing and recognises the vital role it plays in the UK economy, by driving innovation, exports, job creation and productivity growth. Freeports give businesses increased choice for their customs facilitation which plays a significant role in attracting investment and jobs. Businesses will benefit from import duty suspension when goods are imported into the Freeport customs site, and when the goods exit the Freeport to enter the UK’s market the duty will apply. Within a Freeport customs site, businesses also have the option to bring in domestic goods which can then be processed alongside imported goods.

Planning: Urban Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to assess the effect of out of town development on job retention and creation on high streets.

Luke Hall: The Government recognises that this is a challenging time and COVID-19 is having a significant impact on our communities, businesses and town centres.The Government has provided a comprehensive package of support of £385 billion, to help businesses that have been affected by COVID-19. This package includes business grants, the coronavirus loan schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as well as deferral of income tax payments.  We keep our package of economic support under constant review. The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, and business representative organisations to understand the impact of COVID-19 on businesses.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the process for allocation of funding under the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Luke Hall: The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in a Heads of Terms. Further details will be set out in a UK-wide Investment Framework to be published later this year and funding profile for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be set at the next Spending Review. The UK Government is providing an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022.

Ministry of Defence

China: Uighurs

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made of the implications for the integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy of Chinese treatment of Uighur people in Xinjiang province during the period of that review.

James Heappey: The situation in Xinjiang is one of the worst human rights crises of our time. The Government has repeatedly made its concerns clear and advocates that China must be held to account for their human rights violations. The Foreign Secretary’s announcement in Parliament on Monday 22 March of sanctions targeting four key individuals alongside the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps represents the latest of a series of actions which send an unequivocal message that those responsible for serious human rights violations in China will face consequences. This latest action reflects the approach and objectives articulated in the Integrated Review; the UK is committed to being a force for good in standing up for human rights around the world, using our independent sanction regime to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses. The Review recognises that China presents a complex, systemic challenge to the UK and our allies. As the Review makes clear, we need to be prepared to push back to protect our values and global interests, while maintaining our ability to cooperate in tackling global challenges such as climate change and the mutual benefits of our economic relationship. The UK wants a mature, positive relationship with China, based on mutual respect and trust. There is considerable scope for constructive engagement and cooperation. But as we strive for that positive relationship, we will not sacrifice either our values or our security. As we continue to engage, we will always protect our national interests and hold China to its international commitments and promises.

Qatar: European Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Joint Typhoon Squadron with Qatar.

James Heappey: 12 Squadron, the innovative joint Typhoon Squadron with Qatar, has been very successful. It undertakes Operational training of both UK and Qatari pilots and provides Qatar with experience in preparation for receiving in 2022 their first Typhoon aircraft purchased from the UK. Building on an effective deployment to Qatar as part of Exercise Epic Skies in 2020, the Squadron boosts Qatar's ability to tackle our shared security challenges, contributing to regional stability and protecting the prosperity and security of the UK at home.

India: Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in reference to the Defence Command Paper published on 22 March 2021, how his Department intends to expand defence industrial relationships with India.

James Heappey: As set out in the Command Paper, the UK is committed to increasing our bilateral industrial co-operation with India as part of our 'tilt' to the Indo Pacific. The UK and India have regular discussions across a variety of areas, including our defence industrial relationship. These discussions support India's aspiration to develop their capabilities, in line with Prime Minister Modi's self-reliance ambitions. The hon. Member will be aware of the Prime Minister's upcoming visit to India and should be assured that the Ministry of Defence and the Government of India will work closely to realise the aspiration set out in the Command Paper.

Indo-Pacific Region

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen relations with prospective allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

James Heappey: The UK recognises the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific to global prosperity and security and is committed to its allies and partners in the region. Defence is an essential part of the UK's integrated offer to the region and, as such, we will be strengthening our regional defence cooperation and dialogue with our key partners in the region.Working together to mitigate growing threats to our security, we will continue to work with Indo-Pacific partners such as India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and the United States to build resilience and capacity in the region, tackle shared security challenges and uphold freedom of navigation and international law. In addition, we will develop capability partnerships and support UK prosperity by strengthening defence exports and increasing our interoperability.We have also committed to developing closer cooperation with ASEAN member states, and to make a bigger and more consistent contribution to the Five Power Defence Arrangements.This year's Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo Pacific is just one example of a confident, UK-led, highly technological, and internationally partnered effort to strengthen our alliances and national interests. The CSG deployment to the Indo-Pacific underlines the UK's global ambition and leadership as an inclusive, outward-facing and free-trading nation, assertive in defending our values and interests and a champion of international rules.

Defence: International Cooperation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures he plans to put in place to contribute to deeper interoperability between the UK and (a) Norway, (b) the Netherlands and (c) France.

James Heappey: The integration of our Armed Forces with those of our allies will be fundamental to retaining our global strategic advantage. Specifically, we are deepening levels of interoperability with Norway through collaboration on similar capabilities (such as P-8A Orion maritime patrol aircraft and F-35), our regular cold weather training deployments to Norway, bilateral capability talks and membership of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The UK is similarly committed to continuing to deepen our relationship with the Netherlands, both bilaterally and through the JEF. Our Naval and Amphibious Forces are already amongst the most interoperable in NATO, and will continue to operate and train alongside each other. We will also examine ways to work more closely with the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, including on future common capabilities. Meanwhile, UK and French Armed Forces are now closer and more interoperable than they have ever been. Having successfully brought our Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) to its full operating capability last year, we now plan to further develop CJEF from its current state as a contingent intervention capability into a long-term framework for improving our interoperability and strategic coherence.

Cyprus: Defence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of upgrades to the UK defence footprint in Cyprus over the last five years.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has invested £173 million of capital expenditure over the past five years to improve facilities in the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas. This has included investment in accommodation, schools, the runway and military vehicles.

Army

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the number of full-time army personnel is planned to be higher than that of US Special Operations Command.

James Heappey: Yes. As the Defence Secretary said in the House on Monday 22 March, the future regular trained strength of the British Army will be 72,500. USSOCOM develops and employs multi-domain capability with a personnel count of nearly 70,000 consisting of military (regular and reserve) and civilian staff. Direct comparisons do not truly reflect the different purpose and value provided by the two forces.In an era of robotics and artificial intelligence, we need to stop thinking about the strength of the Army simply in terms of numbers and focus on how best it can achieve what we ask of it. The Army will be leaner, lighter, faster to respond and more effectively matched to current and future threats. It will be integrated across domains, with allies in NATO, and beyond. It will be ever more globally engaged, with an increasing number of soldiers supporting Special Operations and amplifying the performance of partner forces.

Electronic Warfare

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to address the risk to the UK’s critical national infrastructure from technological advances in cyber warfare.

James Heappey: The threat of cyber-attack on UK interests is real, every day we witness malicious interference from adversary states and hostile actors. We're continually protecting our systems and have previously called-out activity from Russia, China and Iran.Our defensive cyber programmes are delivering an extensive suite of capabilities; Defence is working closely with Partner agencies such as GCHQ to deliver the National Cyber Force.

Ranger Regiment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the location of the headquarters of the Special Operations Brigade.

James Heappey: Following the Secretary of State's announcement to the House on 22 March of the creation of the Special Operations Brigade built around the four battalions of the new Ranger Regiment, the Army will now undertake a period of refinement and testing its future structures and capabilities. Once the conclusions from this work have been endorsed by Ministers then we will be in a position to provide more detail.

Spaceflight

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the risk to the UK of the increase in the space capabilities of foreign states.

Jeremy Quin: As the Defence Command Paper set out we are investing an additional £1.4 billion on space over the next decade, on top of the over £5 billion on Skynet 6 satellites. This will allow us to develop our capabilities to better understand the Space domain, and be able to protect and defend the capabilities there that are critical to national security. This will include the establishment of a space command.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.13 of the Defence in a Competitive Age White Paper, published on 22 March 2021, whether the specification type of the planned replacement nuclear warheads will include (a) Holbrook warheads of the type used in the UK's existing nuclear arsenal, (b) warheads compatible with the W93 US nuclear weapons programme and (c) other specification types; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Ludlow on 15 March 2021 to question 166353.166353 - Nuclear Weapons - USA (docx, 13.6KB)

Destroyers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned timeframe is for the concept and assessment phases of the Type 83 destroyer.

Jeremy Quin: The Type 83 will replace our Type 45 destroyers when they go out of service in the late 2030s. We anticipate the concept phase for Type 83 to begin in the next few years with the assessment phase following.

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Jeremy Quin: The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the UK steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. This includes making sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government's major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is UK-produced. Information for 2019/20 has been collated and is expected to be published later this year. Information on UK steel procured in 2020/21 will be collated in due course.

Guided weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the status of the interim surface-to-surface guided weapon is.

Jeremy Quin: The interim surface-to-surface guided weapon will replace the Royal Navy's existing Harpoon missile capability. There was a healthy response from Industry to the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire and we are planning to proceed to issue an Invitation to negotiate to the down selected bidders later this year.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horses: Transport

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many horses travelled between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France under the Tripartite Agreement in each month from January 2020 to February 2021 inclusive.

Victoria Prentis: The number of equines exported from the UK to France and the Republic of Ireland from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows: MonthUK to FranceFrance to UKJan 2020106148Feb 2020120102Mar 2020114112April 202011561May 202076201June 202041873July 202033784Aug 202019870Sept 202019578Oct 2020274145Nov 202078112Dec 2020241187Jan 2021N/AN/AFeb 2021N/AN/A When the TPA was renegotiated between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France it was decided that there would be no requirement for certification and/or electronic moves to be recorded between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Therefore, there are no records held on the number of TPA equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland on any APHA database or TRACES.There are no figures for 2021 as the Tripartite Agreement ended when the UK exited the EU on 31 December 2020.This data was extracted from the TRACES. TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.This response has been compiled by the APHA from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.

Sea Bass

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to preserve bass stocks by (a) tackling illegal targeting by commercial boats and (b) limiting the use of inshore netting.

Victoria Prentis: Steps have already been taken to preserve bass stocks. We have ensured the current bass management approach to address commercial fishing pressure has been achieved by applying landing limits under specific fishing gear type derogations for both UK and EU vessels. These limits are closely monitored and actively enforced by the Marine Management Organisation. Ensuring the current annual unavoidable by-catch limit for fixed gillnetters at 1.4 tonnes is adhered to is a key enforcement priority. This approach has reduced UK bass landings from inshore netting by up to 70% in recent years.

Home Office

Asylum: Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of Freedom from Torture's July 2020 report entitled Response to Country Policy and Information Note Sri Lanka: Tamil Separatism July 2020, of cases of 33 people tortured between 2015 and 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection.All asylum and human rights claims from Sri Lankan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and any relevant caselaw.The key caselaw for Sri Lanka is GJ & Others (post –civil war: returnees Sri Lanka CG [2013] UKUT 00319 (IAC) (5 July 2013) (heard on 5-8 and 11-12 February 2013, 15 March 2013 and 19 April 2013), and our CPIN is focused around this. This acknowledges there are factors to be considered when deciding a case.We do not consider pieces of information in isolation. We review a range of evidence to ensure balance and a complete picture is considered.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships: Internet

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the digitalisation of the death registration process on bereaved people; and whether that process is planned to continue after March 2022.

Kevin Foster: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of the digitalisation of death registration on bereaved people, as the registration process has not been digitalised.The current easements for death registration, which facilitate telephone registration if required by the informant and the transmission of documents electronically as part of the death certification process, have been used effectively during the pandemic but will expire in line with the Coronavirus Act 2020.Separate to this, the General Register Office continues to work with the Department of Health and Social Care on taking forward death certification reforms, which includes consideration of digital services.

Immigration Controls

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide further immigration guidance on inward mobility including (a) short-term visitor routes, (b) frontier workers, (c) paid permitted engagement and the roles that qualify under this, and (d) longer term engagements.

Kevin Foster: Extensive guidance is already available on gov.uk for applicants and caseworkers.There are no plans to publish any further at the current time.Visitor applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visaPermitted paid engagement applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/permitted-paid-engagement-visaVisitor caseworker guidance, including for permitted paid engagements, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidanceFrontier worker applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/frontier-worker-permitFrontier worker caseworker guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-worker-permit-scheme-caseworker-guidanceLonger term engagements are covered by our work routes. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Military Coups

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to hold the Myanmar military accountable by using provisions of universal jurisdiction applicable in British law.

Nigel Adams: The UK is deeply concerned at the serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Myanmar security forces during the coup. The UK is clear that there must be accountability for these acts. Crimes of universal jurisdiction can be reported to the police in the same way as any other offence, and the same standards of evidence and independence of process will apply in respect of any investigation, arrest or prosecution. The operational responsibility for deciding whether to commence or pursue a criminal investigation falls to the police, who exercise their discretion and responsibility to investigate independently of the executive.

Myanmar: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Myanmar.

Nigel Adams: The UK is very concerned by divisive, racist and nationalist propaganda perpetuated by the military regime since the coup. Our Embassy is meeting with a range of stakeholders, including Buddhist, Christian and Muslim leaders who are bravely standing up against the military junta.We continue to raise our concerns, including at the UN Human Rights Council, on the Race and Religion Laws and the 1982 Citizenship Law which have been used to discriminate against non-Buddhists.

Malaysia: Freedom of Religion

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Malaysia.

Nigel Adams: The British Government is firmly committed to standing up for freedom of religion, and for individuals to practise their beliefs free from fear. These views are well known in Malaysia, and our longstanding relationship allows us to raise concerns in this area at senior levels with the Malaysian government.HMG funded a project in 2020 to better understand attitudes towards freedom of religion or belief in Malaysia, facilitate two interfaith community exchange programmes, and develop a policy recommendation paper on the promotion of inter-religious understanding and education.Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur regularly raises the issue of freedom of religion or belief with their Malaysian counterparts. The Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed freedom of religion or belief with the then Malaysian Minister for National Unity, Waytha Morthy, in January 2020.

Myanmar: Press Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help encourage freedom of the press in Myanmar.

Nigel Adams: The UK has led a strong, coordinated international response to the coup and the crackdown on rights and freedoms. We used our UN Security Council Presidency to urgently convene the Council following the coup and secured a unanimous statement of condemnation on 4 February. In response to the deteriorating situation in Myanmar we convened the Council again on 5 March and secured a UN Security Council Presidential Statement on 10 March calling for the protection of human rights and freedoms. We co-led a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 February and secured a unanimous resolution which called for the protection of press freedom and journalists. Our Embassy in Yangon has worked closely with partners to highlight the draconian measures limiting freedom of speech in Myanmar and to coordinate joint statements on these issues. We continue to condemn the deliberate disruption of communications to limit freedom of expression and press freedom as well as the intimidation and arbitrary detention of journalists. Journalists must be allowed to carry out their job without fear or threat of violence.The UK has consistently raised the issue of freedom of expression and press freedom internationally both with partners and at the UN. The unanimous statements at the UN Security Council on 4 March and 10 March called for the respect of human rights and freedom of expression, as did the resolution passed at the Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 February.

Cabinet Office

Weddings: Coronavirus

Alberto Costa: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether children under the age of five count toward the number of attendees allowed at weddings under Step Two of the Government's covid-19 roadmap.

Penny Mordaunt: Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships was published on 22 March and can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships#wedding-and-civil-partnership-ceremony-venuesWe recognise that any restrictions on wedding venues may be disappointing for those planning such events, but we have to take necessary steps to limit transmission of COVID-19. This includes the closure of some settings and restrictions on social contact, including wedding and civil partnership ceremonies. By their very nature, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. We appreciate the sacrifices people have had to make across the COVID-19 pandemic and we do not wish to keep any restrictions in place longer than we need to.In the COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021, the Government has set out the gradual and cautious approach to reopening in England, guided by science and the data, including the staged return of weddings and civil partnerships, as well as sporting events.In order to inform the pace and sequencing of the roadmap, the Government commissioned advice and modelling from SAGE and its sub-groups. Scientific evidence supporting the government response to coronavirus is regularly published here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19.

Gender Based Violence: Victim Support Schemes

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to remove specialist Violence Against Women and Girls services from procurement rules; and if he will make a statement.

Julia Lopez: The overarching principle in all public procurement is to secure the best value for money for the taxpayer. The Green Paper proposals rightly put value for money at the heart of the new approach for services that are put out to tender. However there is no requirement in the procurement rules for public services to be outsourced.Where grants are appropriately used to fund these types of specialist provision, procurement rules do not apply: grants are subject to public law and internal government standards, to ensure that the provision is effective and value for money is achieved.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Craig Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 2.41 of the  Budget 2021 Red Book, what steps his Department has taken to end the 15 year limit for overseas voter registration following the commitment by the Government of £2.5 million of funding for the removal of that limit.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ133213, published on 11 January 2021.

Local Government: Elections

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 8 February 2021, Local Elections, HCWS773, how much of the £92 million of government grant funding that will be provided to local authorities for the local elections in 2021 will be allocated to (a) Wakefield Council and (b) other local authorities in West Yorkshire.

Chloe Smith: The Government will now make available an increased estimated total of £95 million to support the running of the May 2021 elections. Of this, £15 million will be paid to local authorities in the form of additional funding grants to support the delivery of the local elections in May, given the additional costs associated with COVID-19 precautions that will be incurred. The grant funding allocations for the five local authorities in the West Yorkshire area are listed below. These allocations reflect the particular circumstances of each local authority area and the level of poll combination expected on 6 May. Local Authority NameFunding AllocationBradford£205,779Calderdale£103,443Kirklees£175,995Leeds£295,271Wakefield£145,910The remainder of the £95 million is to fund the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections and will be paid directly to Returning Officers in line with statutory requirements.

Free Zones

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to make further funds available through the Ports Infrastructure Fund in the context of the completion of Freeport designation in England.

Julia Lopez: The allocation of the Port Infrastructure Fund was announced on 15 December 2020. This funding provides assistance to the building of infrastructure to better facilitate the flow of trade into the UK from the EU. It is separate funding from the new Freeports which will create new national hubs for trade, innovation and commerce.

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date the fourth self-employed income support grant is planned to open for applications.

Jesse Norman: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 23 March 2021 to UIN 171650.

Conditions of Employment

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax incentives are available to (a) employer share ownerships plans, (b) value workers' cooperatives and (c) other forms of mutual employment and membership.

Jesse Norman: The Government offers four tax-advantaged employee share schemes: Share Incentive Plans (SIPs), the Save As You Earn (SAYE) scheme, Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), and the Company Share Option Plan (CSOP). These schemes offer a range of Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax reliefs on qualifying shares. Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) promote indirect employee share ownership through offering similar tax reliefs to employees, with EOTs holding shares on their behalf. EOTs also offer an Income Tax exemption on bonus payments to employees. While there are no statutory Income Tax or Corporation Tax incentives specifically for mutual organisations, the Government recognises their value in delivering the services their members and communities need.

Retail Trade: Non-domestic Rates

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing business rates relief to vacant retail units that are being used to facilitate temporary routine covid-19 testing for employees of nearby businesses.

Jesse Norman: The Budget announced a three-month extension to the business rates holiday for eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors that was provided at Budget 2020. This means over 350,000 properties will pay no business rates for three months. From 1 July 2021, 66% relief will be available subject to a cash cap that depends on whether businesses have been required to close or were able to open. This additional relief takes the total value of support in 2021-22 to £6 billion and means that the vast majority of businesses will receive an average 75% relief across the year. Local authorities are responsible for awarding this discount, having regard to the guidance provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Customs: ICT

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2021 to Question 145127 on customs: ICT, how many individuals were employed in each team in the month of (a) December 2020 and (b) March 2021.

Jesse Norman: In December HMRC had 165 FTE employed on the Customs and International Trade helpline, webchat and accompanying activity, and HMRC now have 145 FTE employed on the Customs and International Trade helpline, webchat and accompanying activity.

Customs: ICT

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the average response time to customs queries to HMRC through the CHIEF system in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to improve the response time for businesses seeking customs advice from the CHIEF system.

Jesse Norman: The CHIEF system has been scaled to 360 million declarations per year as part of HMRC’s preparations for the end of the Transition Period and it continues to perform well. This equates to 111 declarations per second and a message response time of 5 seconds, which is within the service-level agreement for all transactions. HMRC continue to test the performance of the CHIEF system.

Tax Avoidance: Mental Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the mental health of people who are the subject of IR35 investigations; and what guidance his Department has issued to HMRC staff and officials on taking steps to avoid the harassment and intimidation of people subject to those investigations.

Jesse Norman: The current off-payroll working rules, often known as IR35, have been in place for many years and apply to individuals working through an intermediary, such as a limited company, for clients outside the public sector. Under these rules it is the individual’s intermediary that is responsible for determining their employment status for tax, and paying the appropriate tax and NICs to HMRC. HMRC may conduct compliance checks on these determinations and amounts paid. All HMRC staff receive training required to perform their duties. This includes training for staff working with customers who require extra support, including supporting those with mental health conditions. From 6 April 2021, the changes to the off-payroll working rules shift responsibility for determining an individual's status from the individual's limited company to the client organisation engaging them. Any liabilities arising from the application of the reformed rules rest with client organisations or agencies in the labour supply chain. If the rules apply, it is these parties that are responsible for deducting income tax and employee National Insurance contributions before paying the individual’s intermediary for the individual’s services, as would be the case for actual employees or agency workers HMRC have outlined how they will support taxpayers in complying with the changes to the off-payroll working rules: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-issue-briefing-supporting-organisations-to-comply-with-changes-to-the-off-payroll-working-rules-ir35. Where individuals are engaged by small client organisations outside the public sector, their intermediary will still be required to determine their status following the changes to the rules. HMRC’s compliance checks on these determinations will continue to be carried out by staff who have been trained to perform their duties, including where customers require extra support.

UK Trade with EU: Customs

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training on customs requirements is being provided by his Department to help companies to adhere to the provisions of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Jesse Norman: HMRC do not directly provide training for companies but provide financial support through the £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund which opened on 15 March 2021. This fund gives traders access to practical support, including training for new customs, rules of origin and VAT processes. Smaller businesses can apply for grants of up to £2,000 to help them adapt to new customs and tax rules when trading with the EU.

Customs Intermediaries: Training

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training has been provided by his Department to customs agents to help them to understand the provisions of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement in the last three months.

Jesse Norman: HMRC do not directly provide training for customs agents, but have made over £80 million available through the Customs Grants Schemes to support IT, training and recruitment. These funds have been fully applied for and applicants are now finalising their claims by submitting evidence of training undertaken.

Mortgages: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is the Government's policy that people who are unemployed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak will be entitled to a further mortgage holiday.

John Glen: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance released on 17 November outlines that the application deadline for mortgage holidays ends on 31 March. Up until this date, borrowers who have not yet taken a payment holiday will still be able to apply for one and borrowers who have taken an initial payment holiday will be able to top this up to six months. This will not be reflected on the consumer’s credit file. However, the FCA guidance also notes that all payment holidays will need to end by 31 July (with all credit file reporting returning to normal from that date). After 31 March, the FCA’s guidance sets out that firms should continue to provide support through tailored forbearance options for those borrowers that are facing ongoing financial difficulties. This could include granting new mortgage payment holidays. As part of this guidance any forbearance granted beyond six months of payment holidays will be reflected on the consumer’s credit file in the usual manner. As borrowers still requiring assistance after that point could be in serious financial distress the FCA believe it is right that lenders are able to understand their financial position in order to lend responsibly.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment his Department conducted of Making Tax Digital on small businesses.

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department plans to provide to small businesses to meet the new requirements of Making Tax Digital.

Jesse Norman: HMRC have engaged extensively with representative bodies within business and with the accountancy and audit professions, as well as with software developers, to shape the design and implementation of MTD and to understand the potential impacts on businesses of all sizes. HMRC will continue to work with stakeholders including businesses and their representatives in order to minimise costs and ensure effective support is in place during the transition. HMRC are also committed to ensuring the availability of software products to meet the needs of those using MTD. HMRC have confidence that the software industry will provide free software products for VAT and ITSA, as well as products that incorporate business management tools. Support for small businesses will be available directly from HMRC, for example through guidance, videos, webinars and software choices information, as well as through agents and software providers. The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) for the smaller VAT businesses being brought into MTD from April 2022 at Budget. The Government will publish further details on the impacts of MTD for Income Tax from April 2023 later this year.

Credit

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) pensioner and (b) other people who apply for credit without a comprehensive credit rating have fair access to finance.

John Glen: The Government believes that a consumer without a comprehensive credit rating should have fair access to credit. To support those struggling to access credit, in 2018, the Government announced the winners of its £2 million Rent Recognition Challenge. The winners offer apps for renters to record and share their rent payment data, helping boost their credit score. Further, since 2019, the Government has provided £96 million to Fair4All Finance to increase the financial resilience and wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances through improving availability of fair and accessible financial products and services. For consumers struggling to access credit, Credit Reference Agencies can advise consumers to add a Notice of Correction (of up to 200 words) to their credit report explaining any special circumstances, and to explain how their situation has now changed or improved. The content of the Notice should be taken into account alongside the information on the consumer’s report. To support pensioners, those in receipt of Pension Credit may be able to apply for Budgeting Loans available through DWP’s Social Fund. These are interest-free loans, which are repayable from benefit awards and are designed to help with intermittent expenses that are considered difficult to budget. Those in receipt of Universal Credit can access new claim advances at the beginning of their claim should they have upfront costs. There are also budgeting or change of circumstances advances, available throughout a Universal Credit claim, should someone encounter unexpected one-off expenses.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-assessment forms in respect of the tax year 2019-2020 have been submitted late as at 19 March 2021; and how that compares with the volume of late returns (a) in total, and (b) 19 March in each of the last ten years.

Jesse Norman: HMRC do not have complete figures readily available for the number of self-assessment forms submitted late. Taxpayers who are sent a notice to file after 31 October will have a filing deadline after 31 January. It would take additional processing to establish precisely which returns are late, and additional analysis to separate paper returns from some other types of Income Tax Self-Assessment contact in HMRC’s administrative data.

Treasury: Written Questions

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Questions 169067, 169068 and 169069, on Excise Duties, tabled by the hon. Member for North West Durham, if he will provide the figures requested.

Kemi Badenoch: HMRC do not hold the information required to answer these questions and acquiring this information would be beyond the cost limit of answering each PQ. Statistics showing the impact of illustrative tax changes are set out in the Ready Reckoner. The HMRC publication “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes” shows the impact of a one per cent change on beer and cider duties. This publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes

Biofuels: Excise Duties

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a lower excise duty bracket for biodiesel that is 100 per cent derived from waste biomass.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government supports renewable fuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), rather than through duty relief. One benefit of this is that the RTFO scheme sets mandatory sustainability criteria which must be met in order for renewable fuels to benefit from the receipt of Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs). In this way we can ensure that renewable fuels supplied and rewarded in the UK deliver genuine reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.Where a renewable fuel is produced from waste it is eligible to receive twice the reward in certificates under the RTFO scheme than biofuels produced from non-wastes. The RTFO has been highly successful in supporting a market for renewable fuel since its introduction in 2008. In 2019, the use of renewable fuels supplied under the RTFO scheme, as a replacement for fossil fuels such as regular petrol or diesel, saved almost 5.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. This is the equivalent of taking 2.5 million combustion engine-powered cars off the road. Renewable fuel supplied under the RTFO currently contributes around a third of the savings required for the UK’s transport carbon budget and around two thirds of biofuels reported under the RTFO are made from wastes.

Infrastructure: Finance

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to invest in UK infrastructure.

Kemi Badenoch: The UK has historically underinvested in infrastructure and this government is committed to addressing that. Spending Review 2020 committed £100 billion of capital investment in 2021-22, a £30 billion cash increase compared to 2019-20. It also set out long-term settlements for key infrastructure programmes, with record levels of investment in strategic roads, broadband and flood defences. At Budget, the government announced further details of the UK Infrastructure Bank. The Bank, which will partner with the private sector and local authorities to increase infrastructure investment, will begin operating later in the spring. It will have an initial £12 billion of debt and equity capital and be able to deploy £10bn of government guarantees.  We expect it to use this to crowd in private investment to support more than £40bn of infrastructure investment overall. Further details of the government’s infrastructure investment plans can be found under the infrastructure chapter of the Plan for Growth and in the National Infrastructure Strategy.

National Skills Academies: Shipbuilding

Martin Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of stakeholder groups on the approval of the Shared Outcome Fund bid for the creation of a National Skills Academy for Maritime (Shipbuilding).

Steve Barclay: HMT Officials are in regular contact with stakeholders. But it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence, who are leading the National Skills Academy for Maritime bid, to engage with relevant stakeholders prior to submission of the bid. This Government is committed to supporting people to develop the skills needed to get good jobs and improve national productivity. The Department for Education recently published the ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper which sets out how the government will put employers at the heart of the skills system to ensure skills provision meets local labour market needs.The Shared Outcomes Fund encourage Departments to work together to overcome some of the most difficult social, environmental and economic challenges that sit across the areas of responsibility of multiple public sector organisations. The second round of the Shared Outcomes Fund, announced at Spending Review 2020, will provide a further £200 million for projects to improve the join up across government. The assessment process to award the funding is ongoing.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Museums and Galleries: Gender

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent comparative assessment he made of the proportional representation of female artists and male artists in Britain’s major galleries.

Caroline Dinenage: DCMS does not play a role in the creative or curatorial decisions of Britain’s major galleries. Major galleries present both male and female artists within their permanent collections and curators seek to increase representation where needed. Major galleries, including the National Gallery Tate, and National Portrait Gallery also run exhibitions focused on displaying female artists.

Society of Antiquaries: Burlington House

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that Society of Antiquaries can remain at Burlingham House; and what plans he has to support the Society in the future.

Caroline Dinenage: Officials from my Department are working closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to explore whether there is a solution that can deliver public value and help the Society of Antiquaries and other Learned Societies to remain in situ at New Burlington House. We do recognise the importance of the Society of Antiquaries, its collections and the historic site it is located in, but equally the government has a duty to maximise return to the public purse so we must explore options which balance the landlord and heritage interests in the situation. This government is committed to supporting culture and heritage. The Society of Antiquaries recently received Culture Recovery Fund grant funding to support them during the pandemic and have been in receipt of National Heritage Lottery Fund project grants in recent years.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the UK steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. This includes making sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement. BEIS collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government’s major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is UK-produced. We have collated the 2019/20 data and expect to publish later this year. We will start collating the data on UK steel procured in 2020/21 in due course.

Internet: Children

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to introduce user advocacy arrangements to represent children to the regulator to help tackle online harms, funded by an industry levy; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: Protecting children is at the heart of our plans to transform the online experience for people in the UK and the strongest protections in the online harms framework will be for children. Under these new laws, Ofcom will have a duty to establish ongoing mechanisms for user advocacy. This is to ensure Ofcom understands the experiences of users, including children, and is able to detect and address issues early on. The costs incurred by Ofcom in carrying out its functions under the Online Safety Bill, will be met by proportionate fees charged to industry. The Online Safety Bill, which will give effect to the regulatory framework outlined in the Online Harms White Paper full government response, will be ready this year.